Huawei P30 Pro review

Final thoughts

Huawei has really hit its stride and is once again having the rest of the phone makers playing catch up. It was the maker to make the dual-camera trendy. Then it made the triple-setup cool. The ultra-wide-angle snapper from the Mate 20 series turned out to be way more successful than LG's and many others are following suit now.

But Huawei has made another jump in mobile photography with the quad-camera setup.

The 10MP low-light photos are arguably the best you can get from a phone these days. The ultra-wide snapper has autofocus and its photos are also among the best in the class. The portraits enhanced by the ToF camera are another thing tough to match. But the 5x optical zoom is the crown jewel of the camera and it even managed to surpass our expectations.

So, while a handful of phones already offer the wide-regular-telephoto combo, Huawei managed to retain its edge by expanding the reach of the last one. The combination of high image quality and the versatility of the cameras make the Huawei P30 Pro the new cameraphone king.

The competition

If such a complex camera system is not among your priorities though, then there are plenty of other options you can choose from.

The Samsung Galaxy S10+ is the first phone to come to mind when we think of alternatives. It has a higher-res Super AMOLED screen and a punch-hole dual-camera at the front. Its triple camera on the back is quite capable (ultra-wide, regular plus 2x zoom) though it does lack a night mode. It can do 4K at 60fps videos, though and the phone itself offers stereo speakers, 3.5mm jack, and a microSD card slot option.

The Google Pixel 3 XL also has a higher-res OLED screen but is powered by a previous generation Snapdragon 845 chipset. Its single camera excels in low-light and portraits and the selfie camera is arguably the best in the market. Plus, the pure Android experience is something many appreciate. But as far as versatility and creativity goes, P30 Pro is far ahead of the Pixel.

Sony Xperia 1 will launch in two months with a large and notch-free 4K OLED screen. It has the latest chipset and a triple 12MP camera on the back with ultra-wide, regular and tele modules. The Xperia 1 is still a couple of months away though and it's unclear if its cameras will be able to come close to the P30 Pro, but the high-res screen and unique aspect ratio may turn the tides for you. Or not.

Samsung Galaxy S10+ • Google Pixel 3 XL • Sony Xperia 1

The Xiaomi Mi 9 is a much cheaper alternative that lets you have three different focal lengths at half the price of the P30 Pro. The Mi 9 has a 6.4" Super AMOLED screen of the same 1080p resolution, the latest Snapdragon 855 chipset, and a very nice-looking glass design though not water resistant. Its triple camera is capable, though far from the level of the P30 - particularly when light is scarce.

Finally, if you like Huawei's phones and cameras, but your budget doesn't stretch quite so far, the non-Pro P30 is still a solid phone. You are losing the 5x periscope camera, the super fast charging and some screen real estate, but you'll gain a 3.5mm audio jack and save some cash.

Xiaomi Mi 9 • Huawei P30

The verdict

Huawei is already turning into the cameraphone benchmark for the whole industry. And the Huawei P30 Pro is exactly the next big thing everyone will be looking to beat.

But don't get us wrong - while photography is the Huawei P30 Pro's forte, it still excels at everything that you'd need from a modern smartphone - design, screen, performance and gaming, even battery life. It may not be without omissions, but those are much easier to forgive when you have that many strengths.

Pros

• Stunning color options and trendy design, water-resistant
• Excellent AMOLED screen with a tiny notch
• Fast under-display fingerprint reader
• Great battery life
• Flagship-grade performance
• Class-leading daylight and low-light camera performance
• Unmatched 5x optical zoom lens
• Super fast wired and wireless charging

Cons

• No 3.5mm audio port
• No 4K at 60fps video capture
• No stereo speakers
• Selfie camera is fixed-focus
• Huawei's NM memory cards are still far from mainstream